


Changing stage

by Nadejdaro



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, American Sign Language, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-01-03 07:42:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21175847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nadejdaro/pseuds/Nadejdaro
Summary: Life's boring when nothing changes. It's always been a universal truth in his life, and he certainly despises being bored.So Bendy looks for a change of scenery, even when he ends up finding old connections.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First work published in a long time, I'm rusty, hope I didn't mess up too much.
> 
> A little warning:  
Ok so there's going to be a bit of misgendering regarding Bendy until the last few lines. Here Bendy is a gem, and the 1st chapter is from Steven's perspective, and all the gems he's known go by she/her. Bendy did that too, until he met Joey and Henry.

Life's boring when nothing changes. It's always been a universal truth in his life, and he certainly despises being bored.

This is one of the reasons the Cycle was a real hell for him. No matter what you did, in the end, nothing changed. Right back at the beginning again and again for years. Getting out of there only made him crave change more.

And Beach City was the perfect change right now.

* * *

It was a Spinel visit day.

Steven's playing city-wide hide and seek with her. She thought that might be fun, but it's unbelievably hard when there's a thousand hiding spots and she can bend like play dough.

He's on the hill overlooking the temple when he sees it. A weird shadow on the beach. The shape was that of a humanoid, but it didn't look like anyone he knew.

He suddenly hoped it wasn't more unfinished business.

Jumping up and floating all the way down took less than he'd hoped. He wasn't sure if he should call for the others. Maybe the mystery being was friendly.

The closer he got, the more details he could make out. They were short, perhaps a bit taller than he had been when he was 13. What he'd actually seen wasn't as much shadow as the figure themselves. They were almost all black, with the exception of their face, bowtie and gloves. What was especially weird was the expression. The being was smiling, a smile full of teeth that took up half their face at least. It was giving Steven the creeps.

It was impolite to stare, so he introduced himself. "Um, hi? My name's Steven. Can I… help you?"

Awkward. This was awkward. Why was this so awkward. The thing in front of him only smiled, unblinking, like they hadn't even heard Steven. This entire thing was ringing so many alarm bells in his mind, it might have been a firefighter station.

Suddenly he noticed that the stranger was doing something. They were moving their hands. At first it seemed random, but he soon realized the movements had sense. They were signing!

Steven genuinely wished Connie or Pearl were here. Connie started learning ASL, while Pearl already knew it. Both of them could have translated. He also regretted declining the offer for lessons.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I can't understand what you're signing," he told the being. "I'm gonna find someone who can do that soon, but until then, is there any other way we can talk?"

They took a moment to think, looking quite comical doing it. They reminded Steven of Spinel and her cartoon-ish movements.

Oh dear. He had forgotten Spinel.

No no no, bad wording, he had forgotten *to look for* Spinel. There. Slightly better. Barely. He's gonna have to get someone else to help this being, before this ends with a crying Spinel and a huge misunderstanding.

Steven was about to take the stranger with him to a more populated area when their mouth suddenly started glowing. To call it a beaming smile would be an understatement.

Wait a second. He knew that glow! The mystery person was a gem! And her gem was her mouth!

Relieved and concerned by his discovery, he took a moment to see what she had taken out of her gem.

An old poster, already yellowed by age. The words "[_Bendy in The Dancing Demon_](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/bendy-and-the-ink-machine/images/f/f0/Thedancindemon.png/revision/latest?cb=20180525202324)" written on it, depicting a headless body wearing a skirt. Other small details seem to have been washed out by age, wear and tear.

The gem put a gloved finger on "Bendy".

"Is that your name?" he asked hopeful. When she nodded her head, he couldn't help smiling to himself. Finally some progress with the new gem. And she hadn't even tried attacking him yet!

Back to business though. "Sorry to cut this short, but I gotta find a friend. Do you think you'll be ok by yourself here?" He didn't want to waste much more time anyway. Even if he was really curious about that poster.

Bendy took a moment to place the poster back inside her gem, then shook her head no. Then she produced a pen and paper out of nowhere, at least not out of her gem, and wrote something.

Steven was about to try to recall all he knew about the Gem Alphabet, when he realized Bendy was writing in English. That was weird. Gems usually didn't know how to write any Earth language when they first arrive. Then he saw what she wrote.

_Come with you?_

"You wanna come with me?" Bendy nodded. "Well, I guess you can. Might as well give you the city tour while we search for Spinel."

He started walking away, not noticing how Bendy seemed to perk up upon hearing the gem type.

* * *

"Now we're entering Little Homeworld. This is where all the gems who were uncorrupted recover while getting accustomed to both life on Earth and the changes from Homeworld. You can live here too if you wanna settle down here. It's nice to have a place to come back to after a long day." Steven finished his tour of the surroundings. So far, Bendy had looked very interested in Beach City. He had taken time to make sure she didn't have any questions, but so far so good.

He couldn't help but be worried. Unfortunately, he still hasn't found Spinel. Any more and he thought she might feel abandoned.

Before he could think of more problems that could arise, someone tugged on his sleeve. Bendy was pointing at the top of the central building, at one of the semicircles. Steven couldn't see anything up there, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

Preparing to jump, he was surprised to find Bendy hanging on to the back of his jacket like a backpack. "Wanna come up too?" A nod. He took a deep breath, took the extra weight in consideration, and jumped.

On top of the main building was the same as the last time he'd checked: empty. Sighing, he looked around to see if he could see Spinel from up there, but Bendy had other plans. Dragging him by the sleeve, she pointed at the top of one of the semicircles.

It was a portion that had been recently put together, not quite finished. Still able to be pulled… apart….. just enough for someone to hide in there. Genius.

Getting excited despite knowing she might not be there, Steven climbed up. Reaching the point, he pulled the cover away, only to be tackled by one giggling Spinel.

"Finally! Took ya long enough, you egg!"

"Not my fault you have impossible hiding spots!" Steven knew there was no use in defending himself. Spinels are masters of anything game-related, and he won't even try to compete.

She's about to say something else, and then she stops. Stops and stares. Steven notices the sudden pause in activity and looks at what she's seeing. It's just Bendy. It occurs to him he hadn't introduced her. He also doesn't know what type of gem she is, because Bendy feels more like a personalized name. Like Skinny Jasper, or Eyeball.

"Oh yeah, this is Bendy. She arrived today on Beach City and tagged along when I was looking for you. Actually she helped me find you."

Bendy was looking frowny now. Or at least Steven thought she was frowning. The smile was still there, but it's her gem, so it's always gonna be there. Her eyes looked sad or disappointed though.

Suddenly she held one arm in the air and the glove inflated, changing into a sign, while the two black dots on it danced around and moved until they formed a word.

_He_

Oh. Well okay. That's new.

"Sorry. Okay so he arrived today and I gave him a tour and he-"

Spinel interrupted him by covering his mouth, and pointed at Bendy, looking very very bewildered.

"Why is White Diamond's lost Spinel here?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Egg = a person who lives the big life (20s slang)
> 
> Haha cliffhanger sorry. I'm hoping for some feedback before I continue this, since I've had the idea for a while 
> 
> In case anyone is confused:  
\- Bendy is a gem here  
\- a Spinel to be specific  
\- his gem is his trademark smile  
\- he usually speaks using ASL (Henry learned it and then taught him)
> 
> The entire BatIM story goes kinda the same but also some key elements are different, fyi :)
> 
> If you have any questions, ask away!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually a "prequel" to chapter one

Imagine this: you're a creature born of a planet's resources, with a body made of light. The structure of your body at birth has a saying in your personality, in the way that you think, in the way that you live.

You were supposed to be born perfect. Your gem was flawless, your cut perfect, your exit hole a model among the others. You were born when Homeworld was still ripe with resources.

And yet, there was a problem.

Maybe the planet had entered the "night" part of its cycle. Maybe something was obscuring your exit hole. Maybe it was because the planet hadn't yet reached the stage where it produced light on its own.

He wasn't sure what the reason was, but Bendy remembered the moment he emerged from Homeworld's Kindergarten. It was dark.

So dark, in fact, that he couldn't even form his body. It took several "days" for him to absorb enough stray light for him to even produce a glow, and even longer to create his body. And maybe, just maybe, he absorbed some of the surrounding darkness.

Some say that this experience greatly influenced his personality. He can neither confirm nor deny.

He admits that it impacted his gem. After all, who else has a black gem that always shines white? One would even call it a real smile.

He calls hooey.

* * *

  


Back then, he went by Black Spinel. Back then, he also fancied himself a gal. Not very sharp of him, eh?

White Diamond was young. In fact, she was the only Diamond. Blue and Yellow weren't even being incubated yet, Pink not even a fleeting thought.

They used to have a ton of fun. Whenever she was free, Bendy would take up all her time. As far as he's aware, he and Pink are the only gems to have ever made White laugh, so he thinks he should probably be proud of that.

He doesn't actually feel much about White. Or any of the Diamonds, for that matter.

They were an audience. There for him to please as long as his performance goes on. And it went on for thousands of years. But as White "matured", as she became more and more obsessed with "perfection", he found himself bored with his former playmate.

Bored.

A death sentence in his worldview.

So he started travelling. Going around Homeworld, around colonies, and even planets that hadn't been chosen yet. Looking for a new crowd, a new public, a new entertainment for _ him _.

* * *

  


He was actually on Earth when it happened.

He was ignoring the war so well, it might have been an art. He could sympathize with the Rebellion on some level and he liked their passion, their determination. But he already had his own freedom. Though being declared "lost" because he didn't care to check in anymore shouldn't really count. The humans over there were more fun to perform for, anyway.

And then Pink got shattered by Rose Quartz.

In his opinion, that was the most exciting part of it all. After all, the war ended with a bang! While he was displeased at the death of a fellow entertainer, he moved one rather quickly. But he knew the Diamonds wouldn't.

That was the moment he knew he had to make tracks.

So he left. Visited a colony in a different system and waited for the other shoe to drop.

And drop it did.

All gems on Earth, supposedly destroyed. The colony project abandoned. And he really believed that, for at least a hundred or so years.

Then he went back to Earth.

He wasn't sure why. Maybe nostalgia, maybe boredom, maybe another feeling. But he went there again, and he saw _ gems _.

Well, maybe not the gems he was used to. These ones were neither stuck up nor desperate for change. They were feral and monstruos. They were the definition of imperfect.

They were interesting.

* * *

After a couple of centuries, he also saw the remaining "Crystal Gems".

It was weird seeing them on Earth. He wasn't quite sure they would like him, since he was never on any side of their war. So he stayed hidden whenever he knew they were around.

The humans, on the other side, he didn't hide from. They didn't know what he was, who he was, what he could do. 

So he had fun with them. And after years passed, they started telling stories of him, even when he wasn't around.

They gave him many names: Satan, Devil, Scaraoțchi, Iblis, Tchort, Azazel, Kiapolo, Mogwai, Dzoavits etc etc etc.

While some interpretations were inaccurate and simply born out of fear, he didn't care. He was now part of their lives, part of their culture, part of their existence.

He was important.

He was _ unforgettable _.

* * *

In 1928, he met Henry Stein and Joey Drew. They gave him the name "Bendy". He starts going by he and him.

In 1929, they founded a Studio and made him the main character of their cartoons. He "works" as their inspiration and reference.

In 1930, Henry left. He felt sadness for the first time.

In 1931, Joey was no longer happy with what he does. He tries and tries and tries and every single time Joey can tell him exactly where he balls up. He can do better. He knows.

By '32, he's feeling tired. What he does is never enough. He hears voices behind closed doors, about "new ideas".

By '33, they make a new character, one supposed to steal the show. To replace him.

In 1939, WWII starts, and he feels afraid for the first time.

In '44, the Studio starts having money troubles.

In '45, the War ends, and he's almost happy.

In 1946, he loses himself. And takes others with him.

In '59 the Studio closes down. With him inside.

The Cycle starts.

.

.

.

So this is what corruption feels like, huh?

* * *

  


At some point he asked himself why he didn't leave when he could.

There was nothing stopping him. He could have just walked out the Studio door, forget about these 2 humans he had cared about, and just continue his business.

But he didn't leave. And he doesn't know why. Maybe he didn't want to abandon the thing Henry worked hard for, even if he himself left. Maybe to show Henry how well it would work even without him. Maybe to finally show Joey that he can live up to his expectations again. Maybe to prove to himself that he's still good, better, _ the best _.

Whatever the reason, he stayed. And it hurt.

He doesn't ask himself that anymore.

* * *

But it gets better.

In the August of '63, Henry enters the Cycle.

(He's enraged. How dare he come here, after everything. He tries to hurt him like he hurt Bendy. He tries to _ kill _ him.)

That very same year, on the 30th day of August, he walks out of it. Together with Bendy.

He's still corrupted and hurt and confused and _ angry _, but right then and there, he feels free.

It takes years to heal. He meets Joey again. He's an old man and nothing like what he remembered. He's mellowed out with age, says he feels sorry. Bendy doesn't forgive him.

Yet.

He moves to California with Henry. It's very different from New York. The world in general is very different since he last saw it. He meets Linda, learns of his kids, and he can almost pretend to understand why Henry left all those years ago.

Henry helps him. They try to talk, and when Bendy doesn't have a functional way (his arms and hands don't have enough dexterity to write in English in this corrupted form and he can't "cartoon" his glove into words either), they look for different ways.

Henry takes ASL classes, and then teaches Bendy. They make good progress in a few months, enough to actually talk.

It's not easy.

But these makeshift therapy sessions actually work for some reason. He's no longer angry at everything. He accepts that the world moved on without him. He admits the he was manipulated.

He realized that not being the best doesn't mean he's suddenly useless, replaceable, forgettable.

He apologizes to Henry.

And the corruption recedes. First he can see through his eyes again, no longer covered by "ink". Then he can start using his joints. He regains dexterity. He stops limping. He shrinks down.

By the time Henry and Linda have their first grandkid, it's almost like nothing happened. But small signs are still there.

His eyes have a permanent line under his eyes, like they're pushed up from smiling. A bow tie was attached to him, like the one he would put on for reference before. His gloves had 2 dots instead of the 3 lines from before.

He sees Joey again, when the old fella is sick and bedridden. Joey apologizes again. This time he accepts the apologies.

They spend some time, remembering the good times with Henry as a translator for Bendy. When they run out of things to say, Henry and Joey talk. About everything and nothing and whatever's in-between. He stays on the side and listens, remembering the day he met these two people that changed him.

That's the last time he sees Joey Drew.

Henry follows a couple of years later, with Linda not far behind.

* * *

For decades he was busy after that. Keeping tabs on all of Henry's descendants is hard work. Joey didn't have any, so at least there's that.

But they all grow up. And move. And they're all over the planet now. And "Uncle Bendy" is starting to feel more like a fairy tale than an old family friend. He feels like they don't need him anymore.

And he's getting bored.

So he thinks about what to do. And remembers all the gem news he ignored, because he ignored gemkind in general. The healing and peace and changes.

Oh light the changes.

Suddenly Beach City sounds very interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hooey = Nonsense, bullshit (20s slang)  
make tracks = leave in a hurry (30s slang)  
ball up = mess up (20s slang)
> 
> In case I confused anyone, feel free to ask questions!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Steven doesn't know ASL but I don't want to leave Bendy unintelligible for you all, everything written between [ ] is what he signs.

Steven started expecting life to throw its extremes at him a long time ago. After a while, he could even tell ahead of time if it's gonna be a "best" or a "worst". And now it throws something so overwhelmingly neutral that he can't quite process it.

White Diamond had a Spinel? One she lost? He knows he called White childish, but to imagine her with a Spinel was something else. It feels like a fever dream.

It's like realising your parents were once kids all over again. Except it's his sort of grandma who is also probably older than this solar system. Wait, just how old is Bendy … ?

Why does he have to deal with this stuff.

He feels like he should outwardly react somehow. Anyhow. Literally any expression would be some progress.

When in doubt, ask for help.

"What."

That came out a lot more flat than he had intended.

"Sorry," he tried again, "can we talk about this somewhere else? With someone who can translate for Bendy?" Okay, that sounds better. Doesn't solve the problem, but it sounds better.

Spinel definitely looked like she would like to be around other gems and to understand why Bendy was here. She hadn't stop staring at the guy since she pointed him out, which is understandable. What was weird was the fact that she was not talking. Must be the shock.

Bendy nodded and waited for Steven to lead the way. He looked like a doll, not going to do anything by himself unless you made him. It reminded Steven of how Pink Pearl had been and it creeped him out.

"So, let's get going!" He turned around and squeezed Spinel's hand once. This seemed to help a bit so she went first and jumped.

He was about to ask Bendy if he needed help going down when a black puddle went past him and flowed down the side of the building. Looking at the base of the building, Bendy was suddenly there. Cool.

After he got down too, Steven decided his best bet to find either Connie or Pearl was going home. Standing between Spinel and Bendy, he activated the warp pad and hoped to understand the new gem better.

* * *

  


The Beach House was empty when he got there. The beach was not. Garnet was helping his dad change a wheel while Pearl and Amethyst were talking about something.

"Pearl!" he shouted as he left the house with Spinel behind him, "I need some help."

"Oh! Steven, sure. What's wrong?"

"I need a translator for him." He pointed to Bendy, who had just come down the porch stairs.

Pearl looked up to see who it was about. Then the smile dropped off her face.

"It can't be…"

"Oh but it is," whispered Spinel next to her.

Bendy chose that moment to wave, then somersault the rest of the way until he stood in front of them. This caught the attention of everyone else present.

"Hey Steve-O, who's the little one?" asked Amethyst. Upon noticing Pearl's expression, she frowned. "Someone I was supposed to know? Garnet do you know her?"

"Him," Steven pointed out.

"Do you know him?"

"No, I don't. Unless…" she turned to Bendy to ask him directly. "You were on the Korean battlefield days before Pink faked her shattering. You were performing for some of the younger gems."

Bendy did a grand bowing gesture, as if to confirm.

"That is all I know," she finished.

"You're White's Spinel," Pearl finally whispered.

Bendy snapped his fingers twice, as if to make sure Pearl was looking at him, then stretched and twisted one arm until it formed a word.

_Was_

"Because you were declared lost!"

("That means dead with no witnesses and no shards found" explained Garnet, because Steven and Amethyst didn't see why that was a big deal.)

Here's where Bendy started signing, so he couldn't follow that half of the conversation.

…… [Well, I was bored with the Diamonds so I just stopped showing up]

"Bored? What do you mean bored?!"

…… [Exactly as I said, doll. Besides, it's not like White cared much about me. It was either taking a joy ride through the world or shattering myself out of boredom!]

"White shut herself in her ship after that! You call that not caring? Where even were you?"

…… [All over the place actually, but mostly on Earth.]

"You were on Earth all this time?!"

…… [Technically, I wasn't here *all this time*, only most of it!]

"Don't start with the technicalities! How were you not corrupted?"

…… [Do you think I'm stupid? When I heard Pink got shattered, I scrammed as fast as my pins could! By the way, you have my personal congratulations, that was some amazing acting! Best I've seen in the history of gemkind! Anyway, I left the Crystal System for a couple hundred years, then came back and decided to stay.]

Pearl seemed bothered by something Bendy said. "What did you even do on Earth? How come we didn't see you?"

…… [Just messed around. You didn't see me because I hid. But you should have seen me. Have you never heard of demons and devils? How about djinn? Maybe dybbuks? Or literally any mention of a little figure responsible for the darker things in life?]

Here Pearl facepalmed. "You actually convinced all the cultures on this planet to add an avatar of evil, a lot of them basing it on your image, in all of their religions? And you did that for no reason other than because you could?"

Bendy looked particularly pleased with himself when he nodded.

"And why did you choose to come here? If you're bored with life on Earth, why not show up at the Diamond Court and give White the biggest surprise of her life?"

…… [Oh I'm not bored of Earth! These saps never stop changing, there's nothing to be bored of! I'm just taking a break from the nieces and nephews."]

"Nieces and nephews?!"

That got a reaction out of everyone.

"What?" He couldn't have heard right. How would that even work? Bendy still there, so it's not like he had a kid. Maybe another gem that was like a sibling to him did that? But how come they hadn't heard of it, or run into them, or anything.

Before he could even start to hope that maybe, just maybe, there was someone out there like him, Bendy clarified.

"Oh. He says they're the grandchildren of an old human friend of his. They call him uncle." Pearl explained, which seemed to calm her down.

Then she and Bendy talked silently for a while.

* * *

  


"Hey Garnet?" Steven was worried about something he had noticed a while ago.

"What's wrong?" she immediately came to help, ever the careful one.

"Something's been bothering me since I saw him." He nodded towards Bendy. "Sometimes, whenever he's not all over the place, he's weirdly... still. Like something stops him all of a sudden. It reminds me of how everyone was under White's control. I guess I'm just worried if he's not the case. I mean, he's been White's a long time ago, what if she used her powers on him before she could control them properly? What if he's under some sort of half and half control? He's even black, white and gray. What if there's still gems out there who suffer because of it?

"White is too preoccupied with staying in your good graces to keep her control on others like that. But if you find his behavior worrisome, I can keep an eye on him."

"Thanks, Garnet."

* * *

  


"Okay so, Spinel says he wanted to check up on gemkind and all, since he, quote unquote, minded his potatoes for the last few millennia and plans to continue after he stops feeling like a twit."

A blinding light shone from Bendy's smile as something came out. It was the same poster from earlier. Only this time, a bunch of arrows lit up like Empire City signs point the "Bendy" part of it.

"Wowowow, how do you do that?" Amethyst was positively excited. A big sign that said _Showbiz Magic, Muffin!_ suddenly appeared right next to the arrows.

Steven had to ask. "Why can't you talk like that all the time?"

Bendy was about to sign and explain when Spinel interrupted him. "We call it the rule of comedy. We can only do things that would normally be impossible if it's funny."

For Steven, that makes no sense and plenty of sense at the same time. He has gotten to the point where he just admits that Spinels operate on another set of universal laws altogether.

Sweet.

"Okay then." He extended a hand for Bendy to take. "Let's help you!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doll = woman, girl (can be a form of address or used to refer) (30s slang)  
Scram = leave fast (30s slang)  
Pins = legs (30s slang)  
Sap = idiot, fool (20s slang)  
Mind one's potatoes = mind one's business (20s slang)  
Twit = idiot (30s slang)  
Muffin = see "doll"
> 
> Also I'm gonna pretend that Empire City is New York in this AU.
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bendy and Spinel talk! It's a lot less silly than one would expect.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Since gem culture used to be so full of restrictions and there was no room for casualness in official settings, I tried to make the language/alphabet express that. So there's no contractions and most words have no informal version.
> 
> Also since both Spinel and Bendy have been cut off from other gems for thousands of years at least, both their knowledge is rusty and some words (the multiple variant ones) aren't clear on their meaning.
> 
> Also Names and slang have to be spelled out because they don't work with gem word structure.

It dawned unto Steven soon after he said it that he didn't know what Bendy knew. Of course, they could tell him the entire story start to finish, but it would be easier to know which parts were missing.

"So, um, Bendy. Do you want a general explanation or some specific parts?"

Bendy seemed to think for a moment (complete with a hand on his chin and a tapping foot), then pointed at his index finger on his left hand.

Steven looked at Pearl. "That means specific," she clarified. "Thanks."

With her help, they understood that Bendy wanted to know the why and the how of the Pink-Rose story, the mechanism of the cure, the current direction the gem empire and how they managed to get through White's thick skull.

The first three are almost easy to explain. Bendy seems to sympathize with Pink's wish to protect, he looks fascinated by the combination of the Diamonds' powers and finds the "liberation and peaceful coexistence" a nice enough. The fourth is kind of a mystery.

"I guess we were so happy to have made a change that we didn't take the time to see how we did it." It never occurred to Steven to ask himself that either. "I think the bare essentials of it are that I went against White's wishes, which caused her to get emotional, and then I kind of… embarrassed her? Her notion of being perfect was shaken up and that made her listen to us. It was an emotionally taxing moment, I can't tell how much is accurate."

A moment of silence passed. Then a laugh track started to play out of nowhere as Bendy rolled on the ground due to what seemed to be laughter. Poor guy would cough out a lung if he had a mouth by how hard he was laughing. And then Spinel giggled too.

"What?" she asked when they all turned to look at her. "You dismantled an empire older than some of the stars in the sky by embarrassing it's greatest ruler. That sounds like a bad joke if you ask me."

Bendy was pointing at her as though he were saying "see? She gets it."

There was no defending this. To be honest, when you said it like that, it was kind of funny.

Spinel calmed down a bit and seemed to realise something. "Speaking of White, should I get her you're here? I mean, when I go back to Homeworld, which will be in an hour or so."

Bendy shook his head. Then signed something quick to Pearl. "He said he will go too. Wait what? Why?"

……. [ Might as well see what the old apple looks like these days.]

"I guess I can't argue with that, huh."

"Hey!" said Steven suddenly, "we should go too! I want to see how Pink Pearl is. And the Pebbles, and Lemon Jade and whoever else we might run into!"

"I don't see why not." Garnet voiced her approval.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Amethyst, always ready to support his ideas.

"Well, who's there to say we shouldn't?" Pearl had a point.

He loves his moms a whole damn lot.

* * *

Steven left to find Connie and ask her if she wanted to come too. Garnet went to tell Bismuth, Peridot and Lapis where they were going in case they were needed. Pearl and Amethyst had to take some stuff from the temple to bring to Homeworld.

This left Spinel alone with Bendy.

As she looked over him, she noticed all the ways he looked different, yet still the same. There is no denying it, he changed over the years. Then again, she wasn't quite the same either.

"It's been a long time since we last saw each other with the Diamonds," Spinel wondered aloud. "I remember the last time we were both on Homeworld. I was still new. I came with Pink when she met up with the other Diamonds, I think she was still begging for a colony. And you were there. You were jumping around and hanging off of stuff and twisting so much, it made me dizzy! Lemme tell ya, you were a real inspiration!"

Bendy seemed to like the praise, closing his eyes like a satisfied cat.

"And the Diamonds were having fun too. White was only smiling, but I saw Yellow and Blue having to hide their chuckles! Damn, they used to love you ……"

Spinel started trembling. She didn't know why, but she started to feel scared. She felt emotions bubbling, coming to the surface fast.

"They loved you so much. So so so much. If they see you now, they will still love you. And they'll be so happy to see you." She started to feel angry. Her fists were trembling as she tried to stop the onslaught of feelings. "They'll want you back. What if they forget about me? What if they get bored of me? What if they leave me behind again?!"

That was the tipping point.

"I refuse to be forgotten!" Spinel attacked Bendy. "I won't be left behind for someone else again!" She punched and kicked and tried hard because for some reason, for some nonsense reason, she felt that proofing Bendy, maybe even shattering him right then and there, would solve the problem. There's no problem if the threat is dead, right?

But Bendy kept dodging. He kept moving around and twisting and bending and not staying still.

And then, after one unsuccessful spin attack, she suddenly couldn't move. Looking down, she saw that she had gradually tangled herself into some weird band that was randomly strewn around. It looked like something Steven had shown her some time ago. What was its name… film! But where did it come from?

She turned back to the other gem only to see him juggling three film reels. He looked at her for a moment to see if she's done. Satisfied to see her less angry and more confused, he produced a projector and started playing one of the reels on one of the nearby rocks.

> The projection showed a little Bendy cutting down trees to make a hut, seeming to have already made some good progress, when he suddenly finds a shiny diamond. He turns it around, examining it carefully, before throwing it away. The diamond bounces off of something and ends up hitting Bendy in the back of the head. He looks surprised and annoyed at the gem, and tries to throw it away again. Same thing happens about three more times, each comeback more and more ridiculous. After the last time, he seems to get an idea and uses the axe he was cutting trees with to try and shatter the diamond. When he hits it though, the axe breaks and the diamond ends up destroying the little hut. The end.

Spinel was flat out laughing now. She knew that Bendy was supposed to be funny, after all, she was there when he made White laugh once. But these human cartoons were great.

Once he saw that she calmed down, Bendy made all the film disappear.

"Sorry about that. I was scared the Diamonds would replace me if they saw you." It sounded so stupid when she said it out loud, but it felt so real a couple of minutes ago. "I guess I still have to work on my fears. Heh."

Bendy waved his hand, as if to say it's ok.

She realized something. "Being abandoned is a part in both our stories, ain't it? Of course, the situation is a tiny bit different though. My Diamond abandoned me and you abandoned yours." She stops and thinks whether she should ask something. It's been bothering her for a while, but she had never found the right moment to ask. Now seemed as good as she was ever gonna get. "How didja…? How did you do it? Didn't it hurt? Didn't you miss White?"

Bendy stood still, staring at the waves crashing on the beach. Then he shook his head no.

"How?" Spinel couldn't wrap her head around not caring about her friends, even the one who hurt her.

The other was about to sign when he seemed to realize she didn't know the language. So he took out a walking cane from behind his back and started writing in the sand. First he started in English, then quickly switched to Gem when Spinel looked confused by the letters.

_Flaw/problem/defect in my creation. I do not form emotional bonds/connections with other gems. I cannot._

"Oh." She doesn't know how to react to that. "That's… I'm sorry to hear that." 

_Do not be._ Bendy writes in the sand. It does not aggravate/trouble me. _Gems are useful based on how much entertainment/enjoyment they can bring me and nothing more._

That's a dreadful way of seeing others' lives. Spinel had to stop herself from taking a step back after reading this. Considering this way of thinking, she agreed there was a flaw in his creation.

"Sooo…" she began, trying to change the subject, "never cared for anything else? Nothing other than fun stuff I mean." Somehow she kept the same subject. At least the topic was a bit different.

Bendy seemed to brighten up at the question. Which was weird, considering he always seemed positively beaming. He smoothed out the previous words and started anew.

_I actually did care/cherish/enjoy something else! Two humans!_

Here Spinel couldn't help a snort from escaping. "You?! Care for humans? Dry up! How come?"

_I do not know! They were two S C R U B S when I met/contacted/encountered them for the first time, and I stopped to give them a show/spectacle! Next thing I knew, J O E Y was giving me tips/suggestions while H E N R Y was drawing my every movement! One year later they already made it big. J O E Y more so than H E N R Y. Back then, not being a P I K E R was enough to end up R I T Z Y. Still, even now I have no idea/knowledge why they became important to me!_

Now that's a story you don't hear every day. Spinel wanted to hear more.

"What're they like, these Joey and Henry?"

Erasing the sand again, Bendy writes.

_Brilliant/intelligent idiots, at the same time. A lot of passion/dedication/enthusiasm for their work, at least in the beginning. J O E Y was always looking for new, for better, never stop, want more, take, take, take, never give, dream, no limits. H E N R Y was down to earth, logical, caring, passionate, never give up, work, work, work, love, sad, talent, loyal, he left, he came back._

_They were like a fusion for a time, before I came. First time I felt bad about not feeling more. They were "L O V E", even if not forever. J O E Y distanced himself from H E N R Y. H E N R Y wanted affection and intimacy. J O E Y wanted attention and fame. They were not healthy together when older. J O E Y stay alone. H E N R Y get together and love someone else._

"Well then, where are they now? Is one of them the human friend whose grandkids you were watching?" It sounds like he was really invested in those humans, so she was curious why he wasn't at their side.

And here Bendy seemed to turn… empty. He deflated like a balloon, like something just left him.

_All that is left/remains are the ashes of one and the descendants/progeny/offsprings of the other._

Spinel regretted asking. Things had been going so well too.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to remember what Steven did whenever she had a crying episode. She reached out and put a consoling hand on Bendy's shoulder.

She immediately pulled it back when she felt it sinking into his body. Shocked she watched as the other's body seemed to melt in place. Immediately going in front of him to see if he was okay, Spinel saw the black part of his head starting to flow down his face, covering one of his eyes.

Bendy slowly shook his head. A weird whistling sound seemed to come from him as he took a step back and clutched his head. He curled up into a ball and sat on the sand for a minute. Then he got up and looked like nothing had happened.

Using the cane from earlier he scratched an explanation into the sand, this time with a more rough handwriting.

_Still not completely recovered/healed. I miss them._

"Oh. Yeah I can get that." Spinel herself was only started on the process of healing, she knew that sometimes loss just hits you like that. She was relieved he was okay-ish. "For a second I was worried you were poofing or something."

_Worry not, I do not even know/remember how to dissipate anymore!_

"Now I gotta call baloney. Everyone poofs at least once in their life. How did you change your getup if you didn't?"

_I only dissipated once, when I had to change my "uniform" because Yellow and Blue formed._

_This form though…_

Bendy paused. He seemed unsure.

_You wish/desire to see?_

"Sure, why not?"

_Not pleasing to observe._

"Just show me, I'm curious!"

_A warning was issued._ He shrugged.

And Bendy seemed to melt again. However, instead of turning into a puddle like reason would suggest, he seemed to grow. His horns lengthened, his torso, arms and legs thinned out, one of his gloves disappeared into the black substance while the other just lost it's dots. His feet lost their shoe shape and one didn't even look like a foot anymore. His gained a spiky spine, and his back was hunched. His eyes were covered by the black thing, effectively making him blind. His gem, his "smile", was no longer happy and fun loving. Spinel didn't want to think what was behind that grin. And the black thing that seemed to drip off of him was spreading around.

Bendy looked wrong. He was no longer a toy or a plaything. He was a nightmare.

Just as she was about to touch a puddle of the black stuff she heard a raspy grunt. Looking up, she saw Bendy slowly move a finger in a no-no motion. Spinel stepped away from the puddle.

And just like he became that creature, Bendy turned back. Shapes smoothing out, body growing more compact, substance receding. Before she knew it, the little guy was the same as before.

_That is how I changed/modified/evolved._

"What was that?!" Spinel was seriously freaked out. It looked like one of the corrupted gems Steven had told her about, but he could change at will.

_Trauma form. Bad choices/decisions, corrupted myself. Healed with help from H E N R Y. Traces/relics/fragments remain. He points at the curves under his eyes. I change when emotions are too much for me._

Spinel touched the places on her cheeks where her "black tears" used to be. "I guess I'm healing too, huh." A pause and then. "Wait. Does that mean that one day I'll look more like I used to and that I'll be able to change into how I am now?"

Bendy shrugged. _Do not know. Never met anyone else who was both self-corrupted and self-healed._

"Guess I'll have to wait and find out. Ain't that just swell."

Now they both sit down on the sand and watch the waves. The others sure were taking their sweet time getting back.

"Soooooo, what's the deal with that black goop? You told me not to touch it, but it looks like you were made of it."

Not even getting up, Bendy scratches into the sand.

_Call it I N K, but not the human one. Not sure what it is, my guess/theory is that it solid or liquified Homeworld darkness. Like the hard light of other gems._

That does not sound possible. But Spinels are a sign that possibility is relative. "And I can't touch it because?"

_It would destroy your mind and corrupt you._

What. "What?" Bendy just nodded as if he hadn't just informed her of her almost death.

"Can't it be cured like the corruption of the Earth Gems?"

_No. That corruption is the light of the Diamonds projected with intention/resolve/will. *This* corruption is the darkness of Homeworld simply existing. Gems don't just enter the confused and scared/angry/cold haze of corruption. They join it. Become part of the buzzing, screaming well of voices. Nothing more than a wiggling_ _, pussing, shapeless slug. It destroys their gem until only enough of a shard remains to power a Searcher._

That sounded horrifying. Also. "Searcher? What's that?" Spinel made a confused face.

Instead of explaining, Bendy took a few steps back, poured some "ink" from a bucket he had pulled out from behind his back on the sand, and then pulled out a bubbled gem shard from his own gem.

"That. Is disturbing. Why do you have gem shards with you? Do you have more? Should I be worried about myself?"

Bendy ignored her and let the gem drop into the "ink". Not even a second later, the substance began to grow and took the vague shape of a humanoid upper body.

The "Searcher" looked very confused by its surroundings. Then it saw her and began crawling towards her. Fascinated by the being in front of her, Spinel didn't realise the creature was about to attack until Bendy pulled her out of its way.

At which point, the Searcher took notice of Bendy. It suddenly became afraid and frantically tried to move as far away as possible. Bendy simply stepped on the ink trail left behind by it and the Searcher seemed to melt, losing its form. The ink then seeped into the sand. He took a few steps and picked the shard up, creating a dark bubble around it.

"Ummm, is it a good idea to leave that there? Isn't it going to hurt the planet or something?" Spinel didn't want to know what that stuff could do to Earth.

Bendy shook his head and pointed at his feet, where Spinel could see little droplets of black being absorbed by him from the ground.

"Oooo, sweet. And so that stuff doesn't hurt you? At all? No problem whatsoever?"

_No, because unlike/dissimilar/contrary to other gems, I am composed of that._

"Wait what?! Ain'tcha made of light like all of us?"

_Only partially. I would say I am 30% light projection/construct and 70% I N K. If I trauma-change, I am even less light._

"Geez, you're an odd one. Do you even count as a gem anymore?"

Bendy shrugged.

"So, why did you tell me all of that? I mean, it's nice knowing, but what's in it for you? How's it help ya?"

_It is nice/pleasant when others know more of you. Just S W E L L. Call it a form of therapy._

"Oh."

_You could/should find someone for the same activity/operation._

That did sound nice. And thinking of pink hair buns and a sweet voice, she did have someone in mind, someone with whom she wouldn't mind talking.

"Thanks, I guess."

Things were calm. Usually Spinel hated being still and silent, having spent too much time doing exactly that. But after listening to Bendy she couldn't help but enjoy the lull in information.

Ok, that was enough silence. "Well, that discussion was unbelievably serious. Bet I can do a better pretzel impression than you."

_You are on._

And that's how Steven and the others found them a couple of minutes later, putting bakeries to shame.

Spinel couldn't help but think Bendy would have been a nice friend. Too bad he couldn't do that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apple = any big town or city (30s slang) (here used to mean Homeworld)  
Dry up! = Shut up, get lost (20s slang)  
Scrub = poor student (30s slang)  
Piker = coward (20s slang)  
Ritzy = high style, fancy (20s slang)  
Baloney = nonsense (20s slang)
> 
> Hope you all liked the little cartoon I came up with. Honestly not my finest work but I tried.
> 
> (Yes, Henry and Joey were a couple for a some time in this fic. Since Joey went chasing fame, they broke up and that was that for Henry.)
> 
> (Also Joey was cremated after dying, ya know, like Walt)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, but I was fighting with this for weeks.
> 
> Also I have seen any episode of Future yet (pity) and I'm not sure if I'm gonna make this SUF compliant.
> 
> I wanna edit all chapters anyway.
> 
> I'll see.

Quite honestly, Bendy only wanted to visit Homeworld because he knew it was gonna be a fiasco. White was probably still the same self-centered frump from eons ago, even if she (shockingly) started to listen to someone else, so there wasn't anything to look forward to there. The entire place could be dust and he couldn't care less.

But the simple idea of the emotion he was going to induce was enough to motivate him to stomach gem interaction. Just imagine, White's precious lost toy, having been on a "disgusting" planet this whole time, not even willing to pretend to give her some half-assed importance.

Had he done this any sooner, this might as well have counted as its own rebellion.

Now, back to the Crystal Troupe.

The kiddo came back with another kiddo, while Garnet came back empty-handed. Which was all dandy, they were almost too many for a single warp.

Bendy didn't recognize Steven's pal. Maybe she was new, maybe he just had a bad memory moment. He had gotten plenty of those while recovering.

…… [So, who's the little miss?] he signed at Pearl. While he could fancy living life in ignorance, it was nice to know one's travel companions.

"My name is Connie, nice to meet you," said the girl while also signing.

It took a second before Bendy realised she didn't need translation and just about exploded from happiness. He jumped up and his body twisted and turned like a ratchet to show his excitement. Once he came back down he started to sign fast.

…… [Get a load of this! Pleasure to be meeting ya kitten, a real pleasure! Sorry for my poor manners, my name's B E N D Y! It ain't everyday one meets a charming young one with conversation skills!]

"Woah, slow down, slow down! Sorry, but I'm still learning." Connie apologized.

Bendy waved his hand as if to push those concerns away. Learning was a lot better than nothing. He could appreciate that much.

Twirling in place, he turned back to Steven and asked how much longer until they left. Any longer and he would feel bad if he doesn't prepare anything. He had a reputation to uphold.

Thankfully, Pearl said that they were ready to go.

…… [ One last question doll. What are the chances White is going to be there when we arrive? ]

Bendy had to show himself to White before she heard about him from someone else. That would ruin the entire show. He couldn't have that.

Of course, he could shatter any gem that tried to inform the Diamonds before they got to them. However, he felt that the bunch he was travelling with wouldn't appreciate that.

"I'm not so sure." Pearl turned to Spinel. "Are the Diamonds usually there when you go back? Or do you just go your way and someone tells them you're back?"

"Usually one of them is there. At least one. They take turns. Today should be… Yellow! Yeah, since Blue was last time and White was fussy today because it wasn't her that would be waiting for me." Spinel explained.

"Couldn't more of them wait at once?" Amethyst didn't seem to understand what the problem was.

"I mean, sometimes they do, but they're still responsible for running Homeworld to a degree and it wouldn't help if none of them were available in case of anything."

"Huh. Makes sense." Amethyst shrugged.

Meanwhile, Bendy was calculating something in his head. Yellow, he didn't find a satisfactory audience. Not very expressive and with a taste for the self-deprecating humor. While he could appreciate a difficult audience, he had conquered this one already and didn't care for extra effort. He leaned more towards the morbid himself, and he had his pride, so performing for her meant compromise. Which he wasn't willing to do that day.

Seeing as Pearl was still discussing scheduling with Spinel, Bendy needed another communicator. Catching Connie's attention, he signed slowly.

…… [ Any chance for a group to go first and tell the Diamonds to come together before I show up?]

It was worth a try. He was doing this for the shock value after all, and he couldn't get that with news travelling around.

"Uh, I guess we could."

…… [ Thanks! Also, don't tell them about me. Just say a surprise is waiting.]

With that out of the way, all that was left was to wait. This was going to be fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frump = sloppy or critical woman (30s slang)
> 
> Hope you liked this


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